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Government Opens SME Cyber Security Centre

The UK government has opened a new cyber security centre dedicated to the country’s small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

The Cyber Demonstration Centre has been created to allow smaller technology vendors to show off their cyber security solutions. It is hoped that this will help shine light on the best cyber security tools on the market by breaking down barriers some of the smaller suppliers might have traditionally faced in attracting new customers.

Based in Westminster, the centre reportedly boasts state-of-the-art audio visual facilities as well as Cisco conferencing facilities and real-time remote streaming for business presentations. By giving SMEs access to facilities like this – which are usually the reserve of large, multinational vendors – the government aims to level the playing field and trigger further growth in the market.

The centre was created by the Cyber Growth Partnership (CGP) in collaboration with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It forms part of a broader government initiative that will see £860 million invested into UK cyber security.

A CGP spokesperson said: “We are now taking bookings for the centre from companies wishing to host meetings or presentations with clients and partners. All companies are being offered their first session in the centre free of charge.”

A government statement added: “The Cyber Demonstration Centre will be used to showcase the depth, breadth and quality of the UK cyber security industry to delegations from across the world.”

At present there are around 2,000 UK companies operating in the cyber security space, offering solutions to help organisations detect and prevent malicious cyber attacks, which have become increasingly prevalent and costly in recent years. The majority of these vendors, which employ 40,000 people in the UK, are SMEs.

As well as offering smaller suppliers a platform to show off their products, the government is also actively trying to help smaller businesses invest in cyber security defences by offering them a £5,000 voucher that they can use towards new software and specialist advice.